1. Illinois Heart & Lung Foundation (IHLF)
Research Study
Report prepared for: Kathi Franklin, Executive Director, Illinois Heart & Lung Foundation and Sarah
Gliege, Development and Events Manager, Illinois Heart & Lung Foundation
MKT 232 – Marketing Research
Dr. Horace Melton
Illinois State University
April 27, 2015
Prepared By:
Lucy Burtle
Clayton Gonzalez
Kory Hayes
Morgan Rabas
Chris Ward
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Illinois State University
Submitted Monday April 27, 2015
Letter of Transmittal
Marketing Research
College of Business
Illinois State University
470 South University Street
Normal, IL 61761
April 27, 2015
Kathi Franklin & Sarah Gliege
Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation
1302 Franklin Avenue, Suite 4500
Normal, IL 61761
Dear Mrs. Franklin & Mrs. Gliege,
In January, on behalf of the Illinois Heart & Lung Foundation, you presented us with a problem
your company was experiencing. You asked if we could conduct research in an effort to
determine who in McLean County has AEDs available for use and if they are maintaining them
properly. After hearing your presentation, we got to work preparing a survey. After the survey
was prepared, we updated the previous list and attempted to add to the list by targeting other
businesses that may have an AED.
During this semester, we have learned about many aspects of marketing research, including how
to collect and analyze data. We then applied this knowledge from the data gathered to provide
results and recommendations for your foundation. We also greatly appreciate the opportunity
you have given us to apply our education to a real world situation.
We have attached our findings including background information, research objectives, our
method, results, and a discussion about our findings. We have also included a copy of the survey
we used to collect the data.
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If you have any questions, please contact our professor and advisor of the research, Dr. Horace
Melton. He will gladly relay your message on to us.
Best Regards,
Lucy Burtle
Clayton Gonzalez
Kory Hayes
Morgan Rabas
Chris Ward
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Table of Contents
Title Page………………………………………………….……………………………………….…..1
Letter of Transmittal…………………………………………………………………………………2-3
Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………....………4
List of Illustrations…………………………………………………………………………………….5
Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………………...6
Introduction……………….…………………………….……………………………..…..………...7-8
Background…………………………………………………………………………………….…..9-13
History of the IHLF…………………....……………………..……………………....…….…...9-10
Demographics of McLean County……….…………..……....………....…………………......10-11
Transition to an Updated Online Database…………….…………………………………...….11-12
Problems/Concerns…………….………….……..……………………................................….12-13
Method …………………..……………….…………………………………………..…………...14-16
Results…………………….………...…………………………………………………...………..17-21
Discussion………………………………………………………………………………………...22-24
Closing Statement……………………………………………………………………………...…….25
Reference List…………….…………………………………………………………………………..26
Copy of the Survey ………………………………….………………………………………...…27-30
Other Graphs…………………………………………………………………………………………31
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List of Illustrations
Health Disease Death Rates………………………...………………………………………………11
Barriers to Use: Organizations with AEDs………………………...……………………………….18
Barriers to Use: Organizations with AEDs from the IHLF…………………….…………………...19
Barriers to Use: Organizations with AEDs NOT from the IHLF…………………………………..21
Industrial Allocation of AEDs…………………………………………………...………………….31
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Executive Summary
The focal points of our research revolve around various organizations in Mclean County and
their ownership/usage of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). To obtain adequate
information pertaining to our research, we’ve administered surveys to a wide variety of
organizations conducting business in different industries. Some of the organizations we reached out
to include but are not limited to health clubs, grocers, police departments, religious centers, and
health service centers.
The objectives that we conducted our research around are: (1) to discover how available AEDs
are and what their barriers to use are, (2) to specifically find out how the AEDs received by the
IHLF have been used, (3) discovering how AEDs that were not donated by the IHLF were used,
and (4) to understand what other issues may be surrounding the use of AEDs in McLean County.
While the objectives listed above were the primary objectives of our research, we made additional
findings that we believe to be beneficial to the Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation.
Some general conclusions we’ve made through analyzing data from our surveys are: 92.5% of
organizations included AED training in their initial/recurring training programs, organizations are
more inclined to implement AED training with their employees if they were granted from the IHLF,
and a little less than half of the cooperating organizations have not registered with EMS.
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Introduction
The problem the IHLF is facing is their records have not been updated since
2004. Because of this, they are uncertain as to which companies and individuals still maintain,
train, and register their AEDs. The opportunity presented to us is to update the IHLF database of
local owners and AEDs and find out what they have done with their AEDs.
The first objective was to discover how available AEDs are and what the barriers to their
use are. Since the records for ownership of an AED were outdated, we decided to target those
companies and individuals on the list to find out if they even still own and have maintained their
equipment.
The second objective was to find out specifically how the AEDs received from the IHLF
have been used. It is important to know if they have been used, how frequently they have been
used, and if the AED functioned effectively. In order for the IHLF to better understand the
impact their AEDs have had, it is necessary for them to also know what ongoing issues
organizations have had. These issues include maintaining their AEDs, training of personnel
towards the usage of AEDs, and the succession planning in the organization to continue their
use. In this concern, an issue lies within the proper scheduling and staffing of trained personnel
in place to use the AED if necessary. Finally, it is important to know if there is a training
program in place and how the IHLF can further support the effective use of AEDs by the grantee
organizations.
The third objective focuses on discovering how AEDs that were not donated by the IHLF
were used. This is necessary to understand how organizations that were not given AEDs by the
IHLF have used AEDs in comparison to organizations that have been given AEDs by the IHLF.
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This is a crucial part to our research, as we can identify a difference between organizations that
were given an AED by the IHLF and those who were not.
Finally, the fourth objective is to understand what other issues may be surrounding the
use of AEDs in McLean County. Some issues that may arise are AED’s availability and ready-
for-use by trained personnel throughout the McLean County. In addition, the underlying issues
with the AED registration.
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Background
History of the IHLF
Since its creation in 2000, the Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation has made it their goal to
provide support and resources for the people of the Bloomington/Normal community to improve
and maintain good health. With a strong focus on emergency cardiopulmonary services and other
critical community health concerns, the IHLF has placed a strong emphasis on developing a
scalable model that provides timely and cost-efficient feedback. A notable effort was made when
Kathi Franklin took over in 2004. With the IHLF, she hopes to develop and implement an online
database that includes the names of organizations with AEDs, their EMS notification date, and
other relevant information that had formerly been outdated. Along with this innovation, a number
of programs have been developed in hopes of educating communities on the importance of AEDs.
Some of the educational programs and projects that the IHLF have developed include but are not
limited to: AED services, CME Programs, Women’s Health Night, and Operation Revive. To give
a little more insight on the project that the IHLF has developed: Operation Revive, which was
initiated on September 1, 2013, was designed to grant various corporations and organizations with
AEDs to be used in their facilities and also to inform the Bloomington/Normal community of the
numerous locations in which an AED can be found. Essentially, Operation Revive’s focus is on the
maintenance, renewal, usage, barriers, and operational tendencies associated with organizations’
AEDs. The feedback from this program was then utilized through a partnership with Bloomington-
Normal and iRescU to make these locations searchable by means of computer or any device that the
app is downloaded to. Proceeds that were raised during this event were sent to the IHLF, thus
proving it a profitable and successful awareness raising campaign.
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Other campaigns in the past that have been an on-going success are the Women’s Health Night
and the McLean County Heart Walk. On September 20, 2014, employees of the IHLF took part in
the Annual Heart Walk, which promotes physical activity and healthy living. The other program,
which was created and organized by the IHLF, Women’s Health Night, places a strong emphasis on
providing McLean County residents with information about various health issues and personalizing
it so that they can takes steps to improve their health (IHLF, 2013).
Although the Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation has consistently reinforced community
cardiopulmonary awareness through its programs and philanthropies, problems and setbacks have
come to light in terms of financing and obtaining timely feedback for AEDs. Because these
problems are recurring, it is crucial in our research to address and seek resolutions towards such
issues to assist the IHLF with developing an efficient and scalable management model.
Demographics of Bloomington-Normal
The population of Bloomington and Normal Illinois is estimated at 133,566 people
(United, 2010). Since SCA, sudden cardiac arrest, is one of the leading causes of death in the
United States, most of these residents have been affected by this disease in some way. This is so
prevalent that 382,500 people die from this each year, 5,760 of them being under the age of 18
(Roger, 2012). The population of Bloomington-Normal is approximately 52.1% woman, 47.9%
men, 81.3% White, and 9.1% African American (United, 2010). Sudden cardiac arrest is more
common in African Americans than Whites, and more common in males than females. Also, there
is not always time to wait for an ambulance so 32% of the time a bystander helps in the situation.
Only 2% of the time an AED is used in the situation. The survival rate of someone who did not use
an AED before EMS showed up is 9%, while the survival rate of someone who did use an AED
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before EMS arrival is 38%. The survival rate is much higher for someone who uses an AED
(Roger, 2012).
This figure is from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It shows the heart disease
death rates, among adults’ ages thirty-five and up. With this figure we can influence and inform
companies that may not own AEDs to acquire one.
Transition to an Updated Online Database
Throughout the years, our society has been constantly changing and developing, especially when
it comes to technology. Technology has helped positively influence our society and the way
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business is executed. For example, in the past, everything was done via paper and saved in file
folders. However, now almost everything is done online through e-documents and saved into
databases on computers. So, how does this affect the Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation? Well,
when Kathi Franklin first joined the organization in 2004, she was given a digital list of
organizations that were thought to have owned an AED. Assuming this information was gathered
by sending out surveys via mail, it would be expected for response rates to be very low. Making the
respondent fill out a paper copy can be very time consuming and even cost them money, if they are
required to pay postage to mail it back. Moving forward, our group thinks that it is more efficient to
send the surveys out via email with a .pdf document that can easily be filled out and sent back
within minutes. This will not only save the IHLF time and money, but one would also anticipate a
higher response rate, as it would cost the organization much less time and money. Another key
benefit of sending the surveys out via email is it will be easy to upload the responses online to a
database with all of the updated information. Having an online database will help keep the IHLF
organized and provide constant access to an updated, comprehensive list of registered AED owners.
This will be a crucial asset to the IHLF, as it will hopefully be a motivator to continue to keep the
database updated in the future.
Problems and Concerns
As it is with any research project, problems and deficiencies will arise. Our main concerns
recognized with this project are training, maintenance, registration, location, and the associated
costs. With this in mind, we are hopeful that the usage of online mediums of exchange will help cut
costs, while also giving businesses easy and efficient access to relevant data.
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We have recognized a major lack of knowledge of organizations pertaining to all of these
concerns. A major concern is the lack of AEDs being properly maintained. There is a lack of
notification for grantees and owners of AEDs of the required maintenance and it is crucial that
these organizations are reminded ahead of time in the future. Another major issue is organizations
not knowing that the AED should be registered. This is pertinent to not only assist with
maintenance, but to also ensure the community is aware of its location. Many large organizations
are also in need of more AEDs. A life-threatening issue arises if there is only one AED on-site and
it is not in a close enough proximity to be used in a timely manner.
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Method
In order to provide the necessary information to our client, the Illinois Heart & Lung Foundation,
we decided to use a continuous survey with nominal style questions that was given to our
prospective interviewees via email, over the phone, or face to face. As a group, we decided on four
main research objectives to focus on in order to obtain the desired information. This will allow
Kathi Franklin and Sarah Gliege, decision makers at the IHLF, to be much more productive in their
Operation Revive AED Project. Not only will they obtain feedback from their prior grantees of
AEDs, but they will also have a better understanding of who owns and maintains their own AEDs
in the McLean County community.
As a group, we segmented exploratory research on the topics that would give us the best
background pertaining to our research objectives. This also gave us a good idea of what questions
would be pertinent to ask in our survey and which questions are of minor relevance. After
discussion and input from other teams, we developed a universal survey that would be used
throughout all the groups. The main purposes for our questionnaire was to determine whether or not
the organization has an AED, if their AED is registered with any organizations, who on their
faculty is trained to use the AED, whether or not the AED is maintained properly, and if the AED
has ever been used. Once the initial survey was developed a draft was sent to our client in order to
gain approval before the final survey was sent out. This information will greatly benefit the
objectives the IHLF has, and in return will allow them to dive much deeper into their project,
Operation Revive.
Once the questionnaire was finalized and data was ready to be gathered, we divided up the list of
previous AED owners and grantees that the IHLF had between the various groups in our class. Each
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group was assigned a list of 19-20 organizations that were previously thought to have AEDs and a
group of 1-2 AED grantees to collect feedback from. Aside from these identified organizations,
each group was expected to identify and survey other organizations in the community to determine
if they had an AED on-site. Each team was expected to get 25 completed surveys, and as a whole,
the desired sample size consisted of at least 100 participants. In order to properly collect data, teams
were expected to initially reach out to participants to request permission to conduct the survey.
After the initial contact, the next step was to follow up by an in-person interview, phone interview,
or respondent completing survey dropped off or e-mailed to them or completing online. We gave
the organization the choice on which medium they preferred to use to complete the survey.
Once each group completed the data collection process, the surveys were compiled and recorded
on an excel document. From this compiled list of all the survey questions and their respective
responses, we were able to create an SPSS file capable of running frequency tests to analyze the
distribution of responses to each question. We started by trimming the data of the 166 organizations
that were contacted, 90 of which stated their organization has an AED on-site, down to the 70
surveys of organizations who both have an AED on site and, also, were kind enough to complete
the survey.
In order to address our objectives separately, we then trimmed the 70 surveys into two separate
outputs of organizations who did receive their AED from the IHLF and those that did not. 63 of the
70 organizations responded to this question, resulting in 19 responding that they did receive their
AED from the IHLF and 44 obtained their AED elsewhere. The two outputs were then analyzed
separately in order to recognize the possible differences in the distribution between the issues and
barriers to use organizations who received their AED from the IHLF encountered and those who
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did not. In addition to this, our group also classified the industrial allocation of the types of
organizations who were found to have AEDs; this output is at the end of the report.
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Results
Objective #1 - The first objective was to discover how available AEDs are and
what their barriers to use are.
From our research, we found 70 organizations with AEDs available for use throughout the
McLean County area. The locations of these AEDs are spread out all over the county, including
grocery stores, police departments, health centers, and churches. It was found that out of the 29 who
experienced barriers to use of their AED, 51% (15) had issues with employee training. The
recurring issues consisted of both a lack of training/AED education programs across the board and
high rate of employee turnover, especially at grocers. 7 of the 29 identified maintenance as a barrier
to use. Of these 7, most were unaware of required maintenance, not to mention the frequency of
scheduled maintenance. Other issues included the cost of maintaining the AED, as well as not
knowing where or whom to register with. The final recognized barrier to use was the location of the
unit. There were either not enough AEDs in the vicinity or were not in close enough proximity to be
effective.
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Objective #2 - The second objective was to specifically find out how the AEDs
received by the IHLF have been used.
We found that 19 out of the 70 organizations with AEDs have received their AEDs from the
Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation. 7 out of these 19 organizations have 2 or more AEDs from the
IHLF. According to our research, only one of the AEDs donated by the IHLF has been used. The
AED was used by a patrol officer from the LeRoy Police Department on a 60 year old male
experiencing cardiac arrest. We are unaware if this use was successful.
As for training, only 2 out of the 19 organizations, Immanuel Health Center and Calvary Church,
did not provide any initial training for the use of the AED equipment. After the initial training, it
was found that 13 organizations provide ongoing training in use of the AED equipment. The
training tactics consist of a four hour class with all management personnel, CPR training, and other
mandatory classes for employees. Overall, a majority of organizations with a donated AED have a
training program in place. The barriers to training lie mainly in the employer turnover rate and
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continuing to keep trained personnel on staff. Only one of these organizations have one member
trained, the other 18 have multiple people that are trained to use the AED. Every organization that
has a donated AED has at least 1 trained member working while in the organization’s hour of
operations. The maintenance of the donated AEDs seem very well kept as 16 out of the 19
organizations follow the manufacturer’s recommended schedule. The three organizations that did
not either didn’t know they needed replacements, hadn’t ordered any yet, or were unsure of their
maintenance history.
Objective #3 - The third objective focuses on discovering how AEDs that were
not donated by the IHLF were used.
44 out of the 70 AEDs were not donated from the IHLF. According to our research, AEDs have
only been used 4 times throughout the McLean county area. We found that the AEDs included in
our research that were not provided by the IHLF have been used 3 times. These three times it was
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used, it was administered by a trained individual from the following three organizations: Four
Seasons Health Club, El Paso Police Department, and the Town of Normal.
As for training, only 1 out of the 44 organizations, Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority/
Central Illinois Regional Airport, did not provide any initial training for the use of the AED
equipment. The airport employee who completed the survey was unsure training was required as
the AED was put in place prior to their employment. After the initial training, it was found that 35
organizations provide ongoing training in use of the AED equipment. Overall, a majority of
organizations with an AED that was obtained outside of the IHLF have a training program in place.
Once again, the barriers to training lie mainly in the employer turnover rate and continuing to keep
trained personnel on staff. Only one of these organizations have one member trained, the other 43
have multiple people that are trained to use the AED. All 44 organizations that have an AED
obtained outside of the IHLF have at least 1 trained member working while in the organization’s
hour of operations. The maintenance of the donated AEDs seem very well kept as 38 out of the 44
organizations follow the manufacturer’s recommended schedule. The five organizations that did
not were unsure of where they order their replacements from or if they have replacements.
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Objective #4 - The fourth objective is to understand what other issues may
be surrounding the use of AEDs in McLean County.
Many organizations mentioned several other problems they were facing in relation to their
AEDs. Other than the five barriers we mentioned in objective one (training, maintenance, budget,
registration, and location), organizations are worried about their lack of knowledge towards the
AED they own. Places such as the YWCA and the Workout Company worry about lack of a
succession plan, especially with such high employee turnover in their businesses. The LeRoy
Police Department commented that they would like to have more AEDs for their squad cars. This
raises an issue with costs and how these AEDs could be funded. Other organizations, such as
Illinois State Athletics and Marcfirst, had the same comment that they, too, want more AEDs to be
placed throughout their facilities. The last problem organizations found themselves facing was they
feared some members, although trained, may be prone to panic if the situation were to occur.
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Discussion
After this project, our group discovered a lot about the Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation and
the use and availability of AEDs in the McLean County area. Once the data collected and analyzed
through SPSS software, our group discovered one of the overriding issues was the lack of
knowledge regarding AEDs. The information obtained from going out and speaking with
individuals within the community, concluded that the lack of knowledge was a commonality,
especially in regards to the IHLF. For example, when the question, “Did your organization receive
one or more AEDs from the Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation” was asked, a lot of our
participants seemed confused when answering the question; they were unsure of what the Illinois
Heart and Lung Foundation is. Many of the organizations we surveyed were also unaware of where
their AEDs came from and some even had to ask another co-worker where their AED was located.
This gave light to a major area of concern that needs to be addressed.
Moving forward, we think it would be beneficial for the IHLF to organize and host an event
promoting their organization and educating people on various aspects concerning AEDs. The
purpose of this event would be to address the severe lack of knowledge of AEDs amongst managers
as well as employees, and to discuss why it’s pertinent for them to have an AED on-site. The event
should focus on the major barriers to use we found in our research, including training, maintenance,
registration and their respective costs. To cover costs associated with the event, we believe it’s
essential for the IHLF to seek additional sponsors or partners for assistance with additional funding.
During the event, the IHLF could set up a table for registration to ensure all attendees’ AEDs are
registered. If they are not currently registered, the IHLF could assist the attendees in registering
with the IHLF’s preference, Cardio Partner Resources. This is beneficial to not only the IHLF, but
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participating organizations as well, in that it serves as a one-time seminar that sufficiently lays out
the steps companies need to take for future instances where registration or maintenance is required.
It would also be very beneficial to the IHLF to offer an AED giveaway at the event including AEDs
and other maintenance related products. Here is where donations from other corporate sponsors,
partners, or people in their respective communities would be extremely useful. This effort would
also offer extra incentives for organizations to come and, would therefore improve and ensure
attendance.
Another substantial issue that our group encountered was the astounding number of businesses
that did not have AEDs, but admitted that their organization would undoubtedly benefit from
having one. Our team approached multiple independent health practices that did not have an AED.
This raises a major concern because health service providers are held to high performance and
competence standards by regulatory forces and consumers alike. Many of the employees even
commented to us that they probably should have one on-site after we had educated them on the
various situations where AEDs can save lives. To resolve this issue, the IHLF could send out an
informative letter to local organizations and companies who do not have an AED explaining how
the IHLF could benefit their company by helping them obtain an AED and showing them how to
properly use and maintain one. It is crucial that the IHLF continues to maintain contact with these
organizations on a consistent basis to ensure quality maintenance checks are being conducted. Once
the IHLF makes their initial contact and educates the organizations on just how much they can help,
it would be expected that more than 51% of organizations (as found in our research) would opt in to
receive the automated email reminders.
Some organizations stated that there is an issue of maintaining trained personnel available on-site
at their organization. This problem derives from various issues, the most prominent one being the
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potentially high employee turnover rates. High turnover rates make training increasingly costly, due
to the repeated expense of training when the company makes new hires. Seldom did we find
employees who were aware of what AEDs were, giving us additional insight on the methods, or
lack thereof, of proper AED training. Additionally, we were able to identify deficiencies in
maintenance, as, often times, managers who had only been with the organization for a year or so
were knowledgeable on the frequency of inspections as well as repeated registration. One company
went on to suggest that the IHLF could provide organizations with on-site training. We agree with
the company and concur that the IHLF should offer on-spot training to local businesses.
Moving forward, we have a recommendation to improve overall organization of the IHLF data.
Our team concluded, it would be very beneficial for the IHLF to implement an online database to
easily store all pertinent data. While the IHLF has a digital file that stores all their data currently, it
did not appear to be in an online format that offers easy access and the ability to be accessed and
edited from anywhere. A possible tool to utilize would be Google Sheets. The online software is
very similar to Microsoft Excel, but it allows access from anywhere, with data being stored in the
cloud via Google Drive. This can all be done by simply creating Google Account.
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Closing Statement
After gathering and analyzing the data we collected, our team came up with some suggestions,
such as sending surveys via email instead of mail, which cut costs and lag time for the IHLF as well
as the participating organizations. Additionally, the research we conducted now improves the
qualitative data in the IHLF’s database. In this regard, the IHLF now has access to more
organizations that do not currently have AEDs. In addition to this, they have a more rich insight
regarding organizations in the McLean County area who currently possess AEDs. We collected
information that exposed many who were unaware that their AEDs need to be maintained. Also,
many are unaware their organization’s AED needs to be registered and are unsure of how to go
about properly registering their device. The IHLF can now leverage this information to provide
more information to people who purchase AEDs and ensure every AED purchased is registered and
maintained, with proper training provided.
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References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State Specific Mortality from Sudden Cardiac Death:
United States, 1999.MMWR.
Fleet Sports, ed. "IHLF Women's Health Night." Fleet Fleet Sports Bloomington. Fleet Fleet
Sports, 29 Jan. 2015. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. <http://www.fleetfeetbloomington.com/news/ihlf-
womens-health-night>.
Go AS, Mozaffarian D, Roger VL, Benjamin EJ, Berry JD, Blaha MJ, et al. Heart disease and
stroke statistics—2014 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation.
2014 ;12
Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation. "Operation Revive AED Bike Scavenger Hunt." Illinois Heart
and Lung Foundation. IHLF, 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. <http://www.ihlf.org/AED-
Scavenger-Hunt.php>.
McLeanCountyEMS. "Illinois Department of Health PDF." McLeanCountryEMS. Illinois Health
Department, 9 Nov. 2007. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. <http://mcleancountyems.org/new/no.pdf>.
Roger VL, Go AS, Lloyd-Jones DM. Executive Summary: Heart disease and stroke statistics--2012
update: A report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2012;125(1):188–197.
United States Census Bureau. "State and County QuickFacts." United States Census
Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce, 2010. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
<http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/1706613.html>.
Weisfeldt ML, Sitlani CM, Ornato JP. Survival after application of automatic external defibrillators
before arrival of the emergency medical system: Evaluation in the resuscitation outcomes
consortium population of 21 million. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2010;55(16):1,713–1,720
"Women's Health Night." Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation. IHLF, Feb. 2015. Web. 10 Feb.
2015. <http://www.ihlf.org/WHN.php>.
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Survey
Illinois Heart and Lung Foundation AED Survey
The IllinoisHeartandLung Foundation(IHLF) providessupportandresourcesforthe people inMcLean
County to improve theirhealth. A majorprojectof the IHLF isOperationRevive,whichsupports
interestedindividuals,businessesandorganizationswiththe resourcesandinformationtoobtainand
maintainanAED (AutomatedExternal Defibrillator), sothatit’sreadywhenneeded. AnAEDcan be
lifesavingwhenusedquicklytodeliveran electricshock thatrestoresnormal heartrhythmto a person
experiencingcardiacarrest.
MarketingResearchstudentsof the College of BusinessatIllinoisState Universityare conducting a
surveyonbehalf of the IHLF to assessthe availabilityanduse of AEDsinMcLean County. AEDsshould
be so accessible sothata shock can be deliveredwithin3-5minutesof a collapse. Ourresearchstudies
the use and supportof AEDsgivenbythe IHLF tolocal organizations,andof otherAEDsusedby
organizationsnotaffiliatedwiththe IHLF.
Please take about15 minutestocomplete the followingbrief survey. Yourresponseswill helpthe IHLF
betterdeterminehowaccessible AEDsare inour area,and how the IHLF can supportlocal organizations
intheiruse of the equipment.
Althoughthere maybe nodirectbenefittoyou,the possible benefitof yourparticipationisthatAEDs
may be more readilyavailabletosave livesinourcommunity. There are norisksinvolvedwith
participationbeyondthoseof everydaylife.
Your participationinthisstudyisvoluntary,andif youchoose notto participate orto withdraw fromthe
studyat any time,there will be nopenaltyorlossof benefits. Anyinformationthatmightallow
someone toidentifyyouwill notbe disclosed. Aftercompletingthis survey,youwillbe enteredintoa
drawingto wina $100 giftcard to a local restaurant.
To access the survey, please click on the following link (or copy it into your web browser):
https://cobilstu.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_d5cb3qyjs5pQQUB
If you have any questionsconcerningthisstudy,youcancontact Dr. Horace Meltonforquestionsabout
the researchat (309) 438-3845 or hlmelto@ilstu.edu,orthe Research Ethics&Compliance Office for
questionsaboutparticipantresearchrightsat(309) 438-2529. Thanksfor yourcooperation!
SurveyQuestions:
1. Doesyour organizationhave AEDsavailableforuse ina cardiac emergency?
a. Yes
b. No [If no,please discontinuesurvey]
2. Didyour organizationreceiveone ormore AEDsfrom the IllinoisHeartandLungFoundation?
28. 28
a. Yes
b. No
3. How manyIHLF AEDs doesyourorganizationhave? ____________________
4. Whendidyou receive yourAED(s)? _______________________
5. Are your AEDsregisteredwiththe local EmergencyMedical Service (EMS)?
a. Yes
b. No [if not registered,whatisthe reasonfornotregistering?Are theyregisteredwith
anotherorganizationinstead? If so,whatorganization?___________________________
___________________________________________________________________________]
6. Didyour organizationhave initial traininginuse of the equipment?
a. Yes [If so, please describethe training. ______________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________]
b. No
7. Doesyour organizationhave ongoingtraininginuse of the equipment?
a. Yes [If so,please describe the trainingprogram. ________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________]
b. No
8. How manypeople are trainedtouse the equipmentinyourorganization? __________________
9. What are theirtitlesandrolesinyourorganization? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
10. How manytrainedpersonnel are usuallyaroundwhenthe publicorclientele are inyourfacility[i.e.,
whenthere istypicallygreatestneed]? _______________________________________________
11. Doesyour organizationhave asuccessionplantoidentifyanotherindividual whowouldtake
responsibilityformaintainingthe AEDif the primarycontact leavesthe organization?
a. Yes [If so,please describe the plan. __________________________________________]
b. No
12. Do youmaintainyourAED(s) on the manufacturer’srecommendedschedule (e.g.,testmonthlyto
make sure the equipmentisoperational)?
a. Yes
b. No
13. Woulditbe beneficial toreceiveanautomatedemail reminderforrequiredmaintenance?
a. Yes
b. No
14. Are the AED batteryand pads upto date?
a. Yes
b. No
15. Where do youorderreplacementsfrom?
________________________________________________________________________________
29. 29
16. What has beenthe experienceof yourorganizationinuse of the AED(s)? How oftenused,bywhom,
underwhatcircumstances,when? Please describe eachcardiacarresteventas fullyaspossible:
a. Approximate date andtime of event
b. Approximate age of the personexperiencingcardiacarrest. Gender.
c. Was the personinitiallyinventricularfibrillation(VF)?
d. Didthe bystanderadministerCPR?
e. Who usedthe AED? A trainedmemberof the donee community? Someone else (e.g.,EMS)
f. DidEMS arrive?
g. Was the personexperiencingarresttakentothe hospital fortreatment?
h. Didthe personsurvive tohospital discharge?
i. If the AED wasnot used,whynot?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
17. What problemsdoesyourorganizationface thatlimitsthe effectiveuse of AEDs?(Forexample,lack
of understandingof AEDregistrationormaintenance requirements)
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
18. How can the IHLF helpyouto overcome those barriersandincrease the likelihoodof anAED’s
effectiveuse whenneeded?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
19. Please provide additional informationaboutyourorganization.
a. Name of organization________________________________________________________
b. Location(s) _________________________________________________________________
c. Numberof employees________________________________________________________
d. Average numberof clienteleonpremiseseachday_________________________________
e. Name and email addressof contactperson _______________________________________
20. Do youwant to receive free,noobligationinformationorsupportfromthe ILHF relatedtothe
registrationormaintenance of AEDequipment?
30. 30
a. Yes
b. No
21. Do youknowof any otherAED locationsorof anyone else whoownsone thatwe couldcontactwith
our survey?
a. Yes [If yes,please identify ____________________________________________________]
b. No
22. If you wouldlike tobe enteredinthe drawingfor a $100 giftcard to a local restaurant,please
provide yourname andemail address. Researcherswill separateyourprize drawingcontact
informationfromyoursurveyresponses.
Name _____________________________ Email address:_________________________________
If you needassistance withthe registrationormaintenanceof yourAED(s), contactthe IllinoisHeartand
Lung Foundation at(309) 556-8307 or visitwww.ihlf.org Thank youverymuch foryour time and
cooperation!
